Provision

Gifted students need opportunities to:

• engage in sustained pieces of work
• reflect on what they learn
• make connections between mathematical ideas
• apply their mathematics in new situations
• ask questions
• develop their ability to think logically
• handle abstract mathematical ideas
• deepen their interest in mathematics

Teachers must aim to include the following at every opportunity. They should:

• set high standards for gifted students to attain (level 7/8 at KS3 and A* at GCSE)
• expect students to use precise mathematical language
• expect students to present written work clearly and accurately
• expect students to produce solutions at speed
• provide opportunities for students to pursue some topics in greater depth, for example using materials above their current level
• set problems that present students with greater cognitive challenge
• include proof within their lessons wherever possible
• set problems which require students to apply their mathematics in new situations
• pose questions that encourage students to think more deeply about mathematics (“What if…?” “What if not….?”  “Why…?”  “How do you know….?”  )

The following are examples of provision for gifted students within the classroom:

• use and adapt questions from Maths Challenge Papers appropriate to the current topic
• use logic puzzles
• ask gifted students to present model solutions to the class
• ask gifted students to prepare a topic to teach to the class

Resources:

• CAME project – this folder has lesson plans which aim to enhance mathematical thinking
• Maths Challenge papers – Junior, Intermediate and Senior challenge papers from the last 5 years are available in the maths department
• Maths Olympiad papers – recent question papers are in the Maths Challenge section of the filing cabinet. The questions are challenging, often involve proof and require students to be formal in structuring their answers.
• Team Maths Challenge materials – available in the Gifted and Talented Folder.  These questions are similar to those in the Maths Challenge but students need to work in teams to solve problems against the clock. This is most suitable for Years 8 and 9.

Potential enrichment topics, which could be used within the classroom, include:

• Work using different number systems and bases
• Time and calendar problems
• Interesting and challenging mathematical concepts such as infinity
• Proof and the language of mathematics
• Logic problems which require deductive skills
• Code breaking
• Fractals
• Game theory
• Spherical geometry

These are excellent websites for gifted and talented students:

• www.nrich.maths.org - this website is designed specifically for enriching mathematical thinking and has numerous maths problems, puzzles, games and articles.
• www.cut-the-knot.org - this is an amazing website with numerous proofs (43 proofs of Pythagoras’ Theorem!), a good selection of games and puzzles and a vast supply of enrichment ideas by topic.
• www.1000problems.com - this is a supply of 1000 problems, arranged by topic and year group, with extension problems available. This is an excellent supply of problems for all classes and all abilities.